"Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High" by Arctic Monkeys 13/8/13

After headlining Glastonbury festival back in June, Arctic Monkeys return with this absolute belter of a single. This band has just been constantly on the up since their debut album back in 2006 and it seems that they can't do anything wrong, its incredible. This latest single entitled "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High" is out now and its off Arctic Monkeys fifth album entitled "AM" which is out on the 9th of September.

Most of AM was recorded in the American desert which was where the band also recorded their third album "Humbug". This surrounding seems to have a massive effect on Arctic Monkeys sound as this latest single has a bit of a Humbug-esque feel to it. "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High" reminds me very much of tracks off of Humbug such as "Dangerous Animals" and "Cornerstone". However there are only some slight differences that make "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High" different to some of the tracks off of Humbug.

Firstly, this song is a lot more basic and simple than something off of Humbug but this isn't a bad thing. This simplicity is what makes Arctic Monkeys so great. A lot of people didn't like Humbug as it was the most complex and difficult Arctic Monkeys album to listen to. Anyway, the repetitive electric guitar riff is signature Arctic Monkeys: short, basic and catchy. Also Matt Helders drumming is different to anything else Arctic Monkeys have done before. This is because Helders is using an electronic drum kit for most of the song rather than your traditional acoustic drum kit that literally every rock band uses. The use of this electronic drum kit gives the song a rather cool hip hop feel. Combine this with the simple electric guitar riff and you get a tune with loads of swagger, much like Alex Turner's stage presence at the recent Glastonbury headlining gig. The song then builds up towards the end with the guitar work getting more interesting and full. Turner then sings the main hook "Why'd you only ever phone me when you're high" over and over again until the song finishes.

If you have already heard "R U Mine?" (off of "AM") and loved it then you will probably love this too as it is fairly similar. Its also slightly reminiscent of some of the tracks off of Humbug too. Overall if I had to sum up this latest track then I would call it a simpler yet more loveable Humbug track with some sound alterations too. Oh yeah and check out the music video, its weirdly brilliant.
   

BY JOEL HERNON

10/8/13 "Do You Want A man? (John Hill & Rich Costey remix)" by The Vaccines

First and foremost, I want to start off by saying that I have been following The Vaccines since the beginning pretty much. I remember listening to their first single "Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)" on YouTube when it had barely any views. Since then The Vaccines have just gone onwards and upwards into indie rock superstars. This latest song is from their up and coming EP entitled "Melody Calling" which features three other new songs too. "Melody Calling" is out on August the 12th.

This song is certainly not your typical Vaccines track. You know, the ones that are usually under 2 minutes long and are just three power chord bursts of energy such as "Norgaard" and "Wrekin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra). Or the ones that are a bit longer but still have that recognisable power chord guitar sound such as "No Hope" and "Teenage Icon". Nope, this song features funky 70's type guitar chords and a wah wah pedal. I've got to admit, when I first that wah wah pedal in the song I was so shocked. This is not like The Vaccines at all. You may be asking to yourselves "Why he is going on about the guitar so much?", well this is because The Vaccines have been dubbed by many as "One of the biggest guitar bands in the country at the moment" so obviously the guitar is a crucial ingredient to their overall sound. So to change from distorted power chords to high pitched funk chords and a wah wah pedal is a huge change.

The production on this song on this song is fantastic though. There is this lo fi type crackle in the background that just makes it sound special, I can't really explain but you'll see what I mean. Plus the horns in the chorus section give the song just a little bit more of a boost without drowning out the other instruments. My hat goes off to John Hill and Rich Costey for doing a top job with the remix. In terms of the song writing, it is a little repetitive in the chorus section as vocalist Justin Young sings "Do you a want a man" over and over again, but this eventually grows on you after the fifth listen or so. He also sings this in a high pitched falsetto voice which is weird to hear seeing as no Vaccines track has ever featured this before. Overall this is unlike anything The Vaccines have ever done before.  

The Vaccines are probably going for of an more experimental sound on this new EP and that's fair enough I suppose. It's good to try something different every once in a while.  

BY JOEL HERNON

 https://soundcloud.com/the-vaccines/do-you-want-a-man-remix

6/8/13 King City by Swim Deep

Swim Deep are a four piece band from Birmingham that have just released their debut album entitled "Where the Heaven Are We". The band have a sound that I would describe as being a mixture between Synthpop and 90's Britpop, so imagine if Liam Gallagher or Damon Albarn decided to have a creative input on MGMT's track "Kids". Actually that's probably not the best description (Liam Gallagher probably hates Synthpop) but anyway, on to the track.

The track starts off with a droning synthesizer and a pounding bass line before the drums and guitar chords come in too. All of these instruments are drenched in reverb and this creates a rather lushious, lazy sounding tone that wouldn't sound out of place on a warm summers evening. Front man Austin Williams sings about how "I'm in love is so old", which is probably true seeing as more and more people are getting divorced these days. But what would I know about love? I'm just a 17 year old boy! Anyway, Williams sounds reluctant to commit to a relationship and just wants to have a good time instead, judging by the lyrics. However he sings this ever so calmly. The song then builds up to the chorus which includes some of the catchiest "Woo ooo" backing vocals that you will hear this year. Mix this in with the vocals and the backing instruments that I described earlier and you get one hell of a tune.

If your looking for a good summer tune to play down the beach or in your car then I would highly recommend "King City" by Swim Deep. You will love it. However if your Liam Gallagher then you will probably only think its average, maybe?

By Joel Hernon